Saturday, January 11, 2014

Winter Reading 2013 Water Can Be...

The words and watercolor illustrations of this poetic description of water are a wonderful combination. The pictures work so seamlessly with the text, bringing each phrase to life whether it is "kid drencher" or "tadpole hatcher." The seasons of the year progress through the book with scenes like a rainy spring day, summer fun in a sprinkler, a drinking fountain at school, and frost on a window pane. Each vignette displays a role of water in our lives and the world around us. The "More About water" section in the back explains each role more fully, even going into details about the water cycle and the insulating properties of snow. There is also a glossary and list of books for further reading.

Readers who enjoy poems or rhyming stories will like this book. It would be perfect in a school setting to use with a poetry or descriptive writing unit, to introduce a science unit on water, or an art unit on watercolors.